What About Me?
by Aisuru2
Summary: Heero and Duo went their separate ways three years ago - so what is Duo doing in possession of Heero's daughter? YAOI, 1x2, 1xR
1. Prologue

What About Me?  
Prologue  
  
Warnings: slight angst  
Pairings: former 1x2, 1xR  
Notes: You'll see about the 1xR. Everyone knows I'm a dedicated 1x2 fan at heart. :)  
  
***  
  
March 14, AC 200  
  
The worst day of my life.  
  
The day my life changed. Forever.  
  
Heero got married that day. And it wasn't to me.  
  
I remember exactly what I was doing when he told me the news. I was putting together a scrapbook. I was so happy. We'd been together for almost four years, ever since the end of the second Eve war.  
  
He just walked into the doorway and announced we were no longer a couple, and that he was marrying Relena. Sorry Duo, you were a good screw, but now I've gotta go marry a rich bitch and become King of the World, so I'll see ya around, okay?  
  
And then he turned away and walked out of my life. I just sat there, on the carpet, in our--no, my-- apartment, photo's scattered around me. I remember the photos... I could see my reflection in their glossy surfaces, but I couldn't realize I who I was. I was in a fog.  
  
I didn't know how long I sat there in a stupor. Pretty long I guess, because it was early morning when Heero took off for greener pastures, and it was dusk by the time a concerned Quatre's face appeared in my vision. The expression on my face must have scared him, because he simply pulled me against him in what should have been a warm, comforting hug. But I was too numb. I remember just staring at the wall. I had idly noticed it needed a new layer of paint.  
  
"Duo?" Quatre pulled back to look into my face. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.  
  
I blinked at him. I felt lost; I think he could see that on my face. "I don't know, Quatre," I answered softly, and Quatre knew it was serious, because I never called him by his whole name. He was always 'Q' or 'Quat' to me.   
  
"No, I'm not okay."  
  
I just sort of existed through the next couple of weeks. Quatre took my sorry ass back to the house he and Trowa shared. The two really have become my best friends, which is odd, considering I never thought of Trowa as someone who could be very close to me. Yet they are, perhaps because they helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life. I can talk to them about anything now.   
  
Not back then, though. They were careful not to mention Heero, Relena, or anything of the like around me. However, they couldn't help it when the letter came in the mail.  
  
'Duo. You're invited to my wedding. Hope to see you there.  
-Heero'   
  
I was just angry. I vaguely recall mumbling something to the effect of, "Yuy, you fucking bastard!" and charging upstairs to my room. Poor Quatre. He didn't understand what was going on, until he read the note that had fallen from my hand in the doorway. By the time he reached my room, I had flung out every scrapbook containing his picture and ripped them all to shreds. Quatre stood quietly and allowed my rage, and when I sunk to the floor, my anger spent, he came over and hugged me gently.   
  
But I didn't cry. I just sort of sat there and breathed on Quatre's shoulder. Later, when I was seated at the kitchen table, hot tea placed in front of me, Trowa came in, sat down, and quietly asked it I wanted to talk about it. It was amazing, because I just spilled everything. Quatre left the room, understanding. It was weird. I hadn't wanted to discuss it with Quatre, but with Trowa I was more comfortable. And vice versa. When I needed a hug or comforting, I went to Quatre, not Trowa. It must be their personalities; Trowa's so quiet and a natural listener, and Quatre knows how you feel.  
  
I ended up going to the wedding. I came in quietly through the doors. No one noticed me, and that was how I wanted it. I watched the ceremony, left right before it ended. I didn't want to see the kiss. That was when my loss really hit me hard. There was no way Heero was coming back to me now.  
  
A couple days later I went to Lady Une with an idea. "I'll go to L2," I said, "and keep a lookout for anti-peace gangs there." Lady Une was thrilled. After the war, L2 got worse instead of better. Those resenting the new peace flocked there and made trouble. Police force on L2 was already non-existent, and L2 deteriorated into a terrorists idea of heaven. Lady Une's other officers, former Gundam pilots not included, were all too chicken to stay on L2 long. It didn't bother me. I lived on L2 most of my life, and I could keep from seeing Heero at work. It was a perfect arrangement for everybody.  
  
I had to fly myself. Nobody went to L2 unless they had to, and no one certainly decided to go live there unless they were desperate, so no commercial shuttles visited there. Once there, I started looking for a place to live that wasn't a shack, dump, whorehouse, or other establishment of that type. When I found the country house, I almost died of shock. It was far away from the city, located near Nowhere, which is an actual little town in L2. (I really need to persuade them to get a new name.) The people there aren't at all like your typical L2-ians. It's... nice. And the house kicks ass.   
  
First of all, it's huge. Rambling's the best word for it, really. It's full of big windows and high ceilings and staircases and the secret passage or two. The rooms are all big and airy and for L2, it's quite the unusual find. Normally, you're lucky if you find four walls and a roof.  
  
So far things have been quiet. So quiet, I needed something else to pass the time with, so I wouldn't think about Heero. I'm good at mechanics, so I started tinkering with the townspeople's cars. I was so good, they persuaded me to open a little shop. It makes a good income, plus I enjoy it. The one downside is it's too much work to run alone, and paperwork's a bitch. I hate paperwork. But Hilde loves it. And thus, you have met my partner in crime.   
  
She makes the day's easier at least, even if she is as annoying as the yappy little dog next door. The stupid thing yips at 3 in the morning. [3] I'll have to remember never to get a dog. All they do is slobber, eat, and piss and crap on your floor.  
  
Hilde's a little like Quatre actually, only she understands my pain because she went through it herself, when her girlfriend dumped her a few years ago. Yeah, Hilde's a lesbian. Well, actually, she's bi- she's got the most horrible crush on Trowa. She knows better than to go after him though, since Quatre would probably go zero on her ass if she touched his boyfriend.  
  
Anyway, my life on L2 is -- surprisingly -- great. So why the hell am I going back to bad memories on Earth?  
  
***  
  
[1]- based on the actual little dog next door. ^_^ 


	2. Part One

What About Me?  
Chapter One  
  
***  
  
Wednesday, March 20, A.C. 202  
  
"Give me liberty, or give me death."  
  
I'll tell ya what. Give me the controls to the plane and maybe we'll survive.  
  
Piloting my own shuttle is infinitly more preferrable than handing over the controls to some incompoot. Public transportation sucks. I knew I should've just had Quatre arrange for my own shuttle, damn it! At least I would be by myself. I sneak a cautious glance at the people around me. Eek! The attendant! I hide my face behind a magazine and whimper as she passes by. I made the mistake of asking her for peanuts earlier. I think she's related to Heero somehow. Fifth cousin five times removed or something.  
  
I am serioiusly considering jumping for joy as I desend from the plane. That was the most terribly hair-raising ride I ever had. Forget piloting a gundam. Forget the time I let Heero pilot the shuttle. That pilot needs his license revoked.  
  
At least I know Customs will be easy. Not only do I have only one bag, but I have a magical little item known as a Preventor badge. Never leave home without it.  
  
I find my ride, but it's driver is mysteriously absent. I find him in the ladies restroom. Hey, I'd looked everywhere else! Geez. Not that I would ever sneak into a ladies' restroom under any other circumstances. Hey, I'm gay, remember. Cough, cough.  
  
I pry the man from a stall where he was oogling ladies' legs and, enduring several thwaps from a stringent old lady who paid no attention to the fact that I was saving her from a pervert, managed to extract him from the restroom and to the car.  
  
Oops.  
  
He and that airplane pilot must also be fifth cousins five times removed.  
  
I'm having a bad day.  
  
As usual, the stupid dog was barking at 3 o'clock. Fate works in strange ways, because if I hadn't already been up attempting to silence the dog - that's the polite way of saying it - Noin could be suffering from some serious damage to the ear. Digustingly cheerful for three o'clock in the morning, she informed me that it was in my best intrests to haul ass to Tokyo ASAP. Considering that Lady Une hadn't called me to Earth in two years, I decided to spare myself the wrath of Lady Une and just go. So I hauled my tired ass onto a plane, after first leaving Hilde a note, and headed for Tokyo. I'm currenty standing in the main lobby of Preventors' Tokyo Headquarters, watching a bubbly - and sadly, middle-age - secretary flash me sedutive glances as she haules my bag away to God only knows where. Another overly-happy person escorts me to Lady Une's office. I roll my eyes as I follow her large swaying behind. I know my way, thank you. What, do they think I'm going to steal something? A smile curves my lips as I think, Well, I was once a reknowed thief on L2.  
  
"Here you go, Mr. Maxwell!" the women chirps. "Have a nice time!"  
  
"Sure," I say with a grin as I enter the room. "The Lady", as we - well, I - call her, has excellent taste. The walls are a light tan and decorated with soothing watercolors, and the beige carpet blends nicely. Lady Une looks up from her desk and motions for me to head to the adjoining conference room before resuming her conversation with whoever is on the phone.  
  
I find Noin in there waiting for me. "Duo," she says warmly, shaking my hand.  
  
"Hey, Noin," I say easily, moving to plop myself into a chair in my usual manner, but with a touch more exhaustion than usual, as I have been up since three in the morning and got no sleep whatsoever on that plane ride from hell. "What's so important I had to be called at so damn early in the morning?"  
  
"Oh shut up, Duo. You were awake." Damn. Knew I shouldn't've have told her about the dog.  
  
"Sorry," Lady Une apologizes as she walks into the room. "Business." I study her carefully. She looks haggard; her usually shiny brown hair hangs limply to her shoulders and underneath her eyes are smudged bags.  
  
"Something keeping you up at night?" I ask, wagging my eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Lady Une laughs. "I wish," she tells me, settling into the chair across from me with a sigh. Noin sits to her right. "So Duo," she says lightly. "How have you been?"  
  
I frown. Une's not one for small talk. "Cut the bullshit." Me neither, apparently. "Why am I here?"  
  
Une sighs. "You're too sharp, Duo."  
  
"Thanks, I think."  
  
Ignoring me, - gee, how unusual - Une thinks for a moment. "You're aware Heero left on that assignment for Preventers last year, am I correct?"  
  
"Yeah." According to Quatre, Heero left January last year on a mission for Preventers. Apparently, a huge gang was forming. Preventers sent Heero to check it out. It was a huge deal, supposed to take 3 or 4 years or something. I strech lazily in my chair and let out a huge yawn. Glad I didn't go.  
  
"Why? Relena gone crazy because her knight in shining armor isn't around?" I say cooly, trying not to look affected at the mention of Heero.  
Lady Une and Noin glance at each other, then me, then each other again meaningfully. I look at them too from under my lashes. Did they catch some underlying tension in my voice?  
  
"Hey, curious braided wonder over here. What's goin' on?"  
  
"Duo," Noin says softly, leaning forward. "On February 2nd, Relena was admitted to St. Gabriel's Mental Institution."  
  
I feel my eyes bulge out of my head. "What?!" I squeak. "You mean Relena's drawing pretty little pictures of flowers on the wall?"  
  
Lady Une's eyes narrow. "Precisely," she says.  
  
I swallow. Sucks to be Sank right now. "But what's that got to do with me, Lady Une?" I ask, gesturing helplessly at myself.  
  
"Because. You're now the guardian of Victoria."  
  
I blink in surprise. "Who's Victoria? Their pet dog or something?"  
  
Noin chokes on a laugh. "She's Heero and Relena's daughter."  
  
"That's a little different from a dog," I muse. Suddenly, I spring up out of my chair. "Hold on a second!" I cry. "You don't seriously expect me to take care of a baby! Hell no!"  
  
Noin sighs. "It's in the will, Duo. 'Under the circumstances that neither parent is available to care for the child, Duo Maxwell shall be appointed as legal guardian.' Heero had this drawn up before he left, like some sort of insurance policy in case something happened to either of them. More likely he considered himself to tbe the injured party, but he included both of them in the terms, just in case. Relena's mentally unstable, so she can't take care of the baby, and Heero's hidden deep somewhere in Asia. He might even be dead, for all we know."  
  
Well, that's not cheery news. "What about Zechs? He's her uncle, for crying out loud."  
  
"Zechs is on Mars, Duo," Noin answers. "Connections to Mars are still shaky at best. We couldn't reach him even if we wanted too." Ouch. Guess Noin's still a little sore about Zechs making her stay behind. "And if we DID get ahold of him, it wouldn't matter because he only becomes guardian if you're unable to take the baby!"  
  
"Well, then, he'd better buy some baby care books, then," I say cheerfully. Babies and toddlers - I begin to sweat. "Glad it's all settled. I got work back home to do! Bye!" I start towards the door, but Lady Une's tired voice stops me.  
  
"Please, Duo." Her exhausted plea stops me in my tracks. I turn around to face her. "We need you to take Victoria. We don't even know who's going to get to head Sank right now." Lady Une stands up, walkes over to the window and restes her forehead against it. "I'm taking care of Victoria, but she's a seven month old baby. I can't take care of her, Mariameia, and run Preventers at the same time. Maybe if things weren't such a mess but..." She blew out a hard puff of air, ruffling her bangs. "I just can't do it right now, Duo. I hate to say it, but we have more important issues that trying to find a home for a little baby."  
  
"Why don't you see her?" Sally askes, poking her golden head into the room, her usual soft smile on her face. "C'mon Duo, you'll love her the moment you see her!"  
  
"Sally! Bu-" Before I can finish, Sally grabs my hand and starts pulling me down a hall, talking a mile a minute about this cute little adorable baby. I smile wryly. Sally never did take 'no' for an answer; she just dragged you where ever she wanted to go anyway. You think of Sally as a calm person, but you'd be surprised at her energy when she's passionate about something. I think of Wufei and snicker. Poor guy.  
  
I reconsize the medical section of Preventers, which Sally seems to know her way around very well. I muse on that. "You work here now?" I ask as she shoulders open a door.  
  
"Yup. Got tired of Wufei coming home with gunshot wounds and things he wouldn't get treated for while at work." I raise an eyebrow at that but say nothing more as Sally drags me over to a cradle. "Here she is! Isn't she the cutiest thing you've ever seen?"  
  
I look with trepidition into the basket. Looks innocent enough. I guess. Victoria lays on her back, feet pointing up into the air. She grabs her toes with her hands and lets out a little baby squeal, smiling a mouthful of gums at me. I hear Sally snicker at the look on my face. She's clever, damn her. She knew I couldn't resist once I saw her. Damn my maternial nature.  
  
"Can I pick her up?" I ask, carefully not looking at Sally.  
  
"Sure." Sally giggles; my hands didn't wait for her answer and I'm carefully holding the baby in my arms. I vaguely remember Sister Helen telling me the correct way to hold a baby and I adjust, supporting Victoria's head and bottom with my hands. Sally looks on with approval.  
  
"See, Duo? It's not so hard." She smiles at me. I glance over.  
  
"Yeah, the holding part is easy, but Sally..." I shift Victoria to my shoulder. Carefully. "I don't know the first thing about diapers and feeding and clothes and..."  
  
Sally rolls her eyes. "That's what I'm here for, silly." Her eyes sparkle at me. "You can stay at Quatre's a week or two. That's more than enough time to get in a little 'training' on how to take care of babies. Plus, Hilde'll be on L2 when you get back. She'll help you."  
  
I snort. "Hilde knows less about babies than I do!"  
  
Sally chuckles and waggles a finger in my face. "No, I think she'll know exactly what to do. Women have built-in instincts when it comes to babies. It'll be fine."  
  
"Bu-" I start, but again Sally cuts me off.  
  
"What's this fixation on 'buts' Duo?" My little hentai mind comes up with a comment to that, but I cut it off before it can pass my lips. No need to contaminate the baby - yet. Ok-ay, cutting that train of thought off... "Everthing will be fine! It's easy. Trust me. Have I ever let you down before?" she asks, looking earestly into my face.  
  
"Yes," I say without hestation, and Sally bursts out laughing. I can't help the tiny twitching of my lips, and Sally just shakes her head at me before moving to one of the cabinets in the room. She pulls out several duffel bags, the contents of which I have a pretty good idea of. But, being the sucker for punishment that I am, I ask Sally a question. "...What's in there?"  
  
Sally glances up. "Baby stuff!" she says cheerfully, and I groan at her enthusiasm. She finishes stuffing the bags to the brim and walks over. "Here," she says, taking Victoria from me. "I'll trade you," and hands me the bags. I almost fall over; it feels like she stuffed half of Heavyarms Custom in here! Heavyarms Custom weighed A LOT. I would know.  
  
"Wha- hey wait! That's not fair!" I holler, lumbering awkwardly after her with the 'baby stuff'. "Hey, wai- errr. I hate you, Sally! You're a cruel women!" I almost trip going down the stairs. "Wufei was right about your species!"  
  
Sally just laughs in my face. I hate women.  
  
***  
  
I glare icily at Wufei as Quatre puts a cup of coffee in front of me. The poor Chinese man is about to die. Either by my hand or the fact that he can't breathe because he's laughing so hard... I don't know yet. I pounce on the scalding liquid and eagarly slurp it down, vowing never to discuss my cronicles with women with Wufei ever again. Quatre and Wufei watch me guzzle in mild fascination; Trowa is immune. He's seen me drink coffee straight from the pot a zillion times during our late-night discussions. We are a pretty phiscophical pair, believe it or not. Hey! What was that look for?  
  
"Ew..." Wufei looks sick. Like, 'green and I'm going to throw up all over this REALLY expensive rug' sick. "Black AND pipping hot."  
  
"Yeah... I thought you'd be more of a cream and sugar person," Quatre says, smiling over at me.  
  
I shake my head, my mouth still full of coffee. "Naw," I say, swallowing. "When I was little, the only way I could drink was if I poured in mounds of sugar and cream, but now I like it black." I take a gleeful sip to prove my point.  
  
"You drank coffe when you were little?!"  
  
"Wufei, you, being a tea - which is a very weak pansy little drink, by the way - person, would not understand the wonder of black, bitter, 'leaves a bad aftertaste in your mouth' coffee."  
  
We sit in silence for a while, until Trowa breaks it. "So, Duo... how do you feel about this?" He gestures up to the bedroom where Vicki- as I've nicknamed her- is sleeping away. I do that a lot. Nickname, I mean. Well, I sleep a lot too. Maybe I should get some diapers and teething rings for myself. And a nanny. I can see it now: "Wu-FEI! I want food!"  
  
Anyway... Trowa the shrink. I smile wryly, then frown down into my coffee. "I don't know. The whole idea's pretty alien to me." I glance up at them, serious for once. "I never thought I'd have a kid."  
  
"Me neither," Wufei mumbles, and we all laugh.  
  
"When are you going back?" Quatre asks me.  
  
I tilt my head, considering. "I don't know. Sally wanted to give me a couple of days to 'get used to the idea of a baby', so probably Saturday or Sunday."  
  
"Well, that's too bad. You're always welcome to stay longer, you know."  
  
"Quatre, I'd never pass up the chance to live in YOUR house if I didn't have to."  
  
Quatre chuckles, then appear to consider something for a while. "Well, you do still need to get baby stuff for Victoria. Maybe we should go... "  
  
Oh, he's gonna say it...  
  
"shopping."  
  
Ha ha! Entertainment time. I sneak a glance at Trowa and Wufei. Wufei's normally golden skin had turned flour-white, and poor Trowa looks like he's going to die. I snicker inwardly at them. They hate to shop.  
  
"Just you and me, then?"  
  
"Oh no," Quatre responds, a evil gleam in his eye. Yup, the boy is smart. "Of course Uncle Trowa and Uncle Wufei have to help."  
  
Trowa and Wufei choke on their respective drinks.  
  
I nod enthusiastically. "Yeah. Otherwise, when Vicki gets older, she'll be insulted. And watch, she'll be so cute, you old, ugly farts will be trying to get her to accompany you to your nursing home functions, and she'll turn away and say: 'No, you never ever went shopping and bought me baby clothes!' "  
  
Trowa and Wufei remain unmoved.  
  
Quatre uses the LOOK.  
  
"Okay," Trowa and Wufei say- reluctantly. I need to get the LOOK.  
  
***  
  
I'm glad I've blanked out the shopping expedition in my mind as I get Vicki ready to leave. She looks around the room with interest as I change her diaper.  
  
"Jesus," I whisper to the tiny infant as I button her into her new white jumpsuit that Quatre made me buy. Good thing he did, too. All her clothes were either too small or ugly. "Not even a week and already you have me wrapped around your little finger." I smile as she traps my pinkie finger between a small fist and squeezes. Hard. I wince as I extract my finger. In some ways she reminds me so much of Heero. Same piercing blue eyes, same hair color, if not the style. I smile and pass my hand through the silky hair on the baby's head. Definitely not like Heero's spiky mop.  
  
I pick her up and study her more closely. She might have her daddy's eyes, but I could see a clear resemblance to Relena in the button nose and rosy lips. I don't know whose attitude she got though. She's an extremely happy baby, always squealing and giggling and marveling at the new things she learns every day. She's got Heero's intelligence level, that's for certain.  
  
"Ready, baby girl?" I coo. Five days and already I've disgraced myself. God. I grab the constant baby duffel and heading down the stairs. Already I've learned not to leave home without it. Food, diapers, toys... this things got it all. You can tell. It weighs a ton.  
  
I nod gratefully to Trowa as he relieves me of the burden and heads to the car. I say my goodbyes to Quatre and Wufei and Sally, giving them one armed hugs.  
  
"Thanks again, Sally. You've taught me a lot. I could've never survived without you!" I joke. "...Oh wait, you got me into this mess in the first place!"  
  
Sally chuckles. "Does this mean you've forgiven me?"  
  
"Nope. I still hate you."  
  
"Thanks," Sally says wryly.  
  
I make my way to the car. "Goodluck, Duo," Quatre calls. "We'll come see you in a couple of months and make sure you haven't killed the baby!"  
  
"Gee, thanks for the overwhelming confidence in my abilities, guys," I say sarcastically. "Oh well. Trowa believes in me!" I beam at him. "Right?"  
  
Trowa shakes his head in an exasperated manner. "Bye, Duo," he says, hugging me briefly before heading toward the others on the porch. I shake my head and secure Vicki to the car seat in the back before climbing in myself and backing out of the driveway.  
  
I stick my head out once I'm on the road. "Hey! Does this mean you don't believe in me either?" I pout.  
  
"Lets just say I don't totally agree with Quatre."  
  
"What great friends I have!" I pull my head back in and drive off, laughing. I glance at Vicki in the review mirror, happily gnawing on one of her feet. I smile softly; that kid's already worked herself into my heart.  
  
I chuckle as I turn onto the highway. Let's see if Hilde feels the same.  
  
I head towards home.  
  
*** 


	3. Part Two

Go Canada.  
www.sympatico.ca  
  
  
What About Me?  
Chapter Two  
  
Notes: Unfortunately (for everyone), time is a very important factor in this fic. I have a whole timeline planned out in my notes. It might be bothersome, but I would try to check the previous chapter to see how far time has jumped ahead.  
  
***  
  
Nov. 7th, A.C. 202 (Roughly seven months later)  
  
I've often wondered about the benefits of 1st person narration against 3rd. While 3rd is less personal, nevertheless it allows one to tell the emotions of all characters involved. However, sometimes things just need to be told in 1st person to fully appreciate the information given.  
  
Like now.  
  
I roll over in bed and squint blearily at my clock. Upon reading the time, I drop my head back into my pillow with a tired sigh. 3 o'clock in the morning. Right on time.  
  
The clear howl that woke me from my sleep fades away suddenly. I wait intently, hoping it's over so that I can go back to sleep. As abruptly as it ended the wail starts up again. Apparently it only stopped for breath. I reluctantly heave myself out of my nice warm cocoon, cursing my neighbors, their dog, and sickness.  
  
It figures the neighbors would take a vacation the same week Vicki gets a horrible cold.  
  
Although the cold woke her every night with throat racking coughs, I wasn't really concerned that anything bad would happen. I mused silently on that as I moved down the cold hallway to Vicki's room. I suppose it's because she's Heero and Relena's daughter. If anyone is invincible, those two are. Heero has fallen down mountains and off gundams, landing on his head, and still survived mostly sane. Relena's dodged so many assassination attempts it's not even funny. I highly doubt a head cold will kill Vicki.  
  
Still... I come into the white washed room with the hunter green carpet and stare for a moment at the fussing baby in her crib. I suppose, as a father, I can't help but worry- just a little. Those coughs are so hard on her poor little baby throat... I pick Vicki up and move to the rocking chair that looks like it's going to be a permanent placement by the crib. I sit down and immediately Vicki's wails decrease, though she still whimpers loudly. I smile softy and begin to rock, quietly singing her a lullaby. She loves it when I sing.  
  
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,  
  
You make me happy, when skies are gray...  
  
It's true, I guess... I never realized how depressed I was until I had to take care of this baby. I couldn't laze around feeling sorry for myself anymore. Things had to be done, this little scrap of humanity had to be taken care of. She depended on me (me!) for survival. And that feeling of responsibility felt... good. I liked, needed people to depend on me. It made me feel good about myself.  
  
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you...  
  
She won't either. She couldn't possibly. I don't even know how deep my feelings run, but it feels like they could go on forever. I don't think I've ever felt this deeply for anybody. Passionate love, brotherly love, the love for a parent, yes, but this... this love is different. Do you understand? I know it sounds confusing but, then again, hasn't love always been that way?  
  
Oh, please don't take my sunshine away...  
  
I feel my eyes harden at the thought of anybody taking this baby, my baby, away from me. I wouldn't give her back for anything, for anybody. Not Zechs, not Une, not Relena, not even Heero. She's mine, damnit, and if you want her you can see me in court!  
  
I let out a little breath as I realize how vehement I'm getting. Tension radiates off my body in waves. I glance down at the now sleeping baby and amaze that she hasn't woken up from them. I rise and place her back in her crib, then head back to my own room, which is right next to Vicki's. I crawl happily back into my bed and almost fall out in surprise when I glance at the clock. 4:13? I was in there for over an hour?!  
  
I shake my head at myself as I go back to sleep. You're getting too attached, Maxwell, I say to myself. Remember, never get too close to anyone, because then it only hurts more when they get taken away...  
  
***  
  
"Duo!"  
  
Another pillow assaults my face when I finally relent and raise my head. I bravely face 125 pounds of pissed off Hilde and 18 pounds of happily squirming baby.  
  
"Wha~at?" I whine.  
  
"You've got to get up, dunderbrain! It's 8! Your doctor appointment is in less than an hour!"  
  
My eyes widen and I scramble out of bed as "Oh shit!" flies from my mouth. I pause for a second to kiss the giggling Vicki on the nose and tell her, "You didn't hear that," before racing off to my closet. I hurriedly pull on some black jeans and a navy blue shirt with the name of some old band on it- Linkin Park I think the name is.  
  
When I jog downstairs after brushing my hair and my teeth, Hilde's there waiting with a bagel and a thermos of coffee. She shoves them at me as I run through the door, tossing back a muffled thanks. Vicki waves, which equals "bye bye." I jump into my detailed '98 * Jeep Cherokee with DTH AGL (meaning death angel) for a license plate and roar down the driveway seconds later.  
  
It takes me about 15 minutes to get to town, and I coast down the main street, obeying the 25 mph speed limit. People wave to me as I head to the doctors; I've fixed almost every car in town. Mrs. Burke calls out thanks enthusiastically and asks if she can bring some cookies over for "your little darling baby." I chuckle as I give an okay. What can I say? I'm loved!  
  
I pull into the physicians parking lot and peer with trepidation at the large imposing sign overhead. I have a bad feeling, but I walk inside with my customary cheer and head over to the receptionist's desk. I recognize Dawn Hudson, the cheery 18 year old who works here. She smiles charmingly as I walk up and apologize for being late.  
  
"Oh, you're not late at all, Mr. Maxwell!" she says. "You're actually a coupla minutes early, but I'm sure Doc can see you now." I head with a nod to the door she points at. "Wait a sec, Mr. Maxwell?" At my questioning look, she nervously starts to speak. "Well, um, I was wondering if you could fix my car?" she blurts out. "It kinda broke down the other day, but um... I don't have much money... I thought maybe I could baby-sit Vicki one day or something?" She gives me a hesitant lopsided grin.  
  
I laugh and shake my head as I walk through the door. "No need for that, Dawn. I'll be happy to fix your car." Her thanks echo down the hall.  
  
I step quietly into the room I was in just last week when Vicki first got her cold. Doc Patterson peers up at me from where he sits at a table in the room. Actual first name too. Freaky. "Hello, Duo, good to see you again. How is Vicki?" he inquires kindly.  
  
"Oh, she's still a little sick, but kicking." I give him a smile and he nods and stands up, preparing to leave. Before he leaves, I stop him. "Hey Doc...? Thanks for keeping this a secret."  
  
He shakes his head bemusedly and says, "No thanks needed, Duo. I understand. I'll go get him now." I smile at his back as he retreats. I think Doc's the only one in town whose car I haven't fixed yet. Well, besides Dawn's, but that's soon to be remedied. I hoist myself up onto that little table covered with paper that have been around for millennia and wait. Professor G shuffles in after a moment and closes the door.  
  
"Hello, Duo," he says calmly, and I nod stiffly, my shoulders hunched. I hate that I have to trust this all to him, but he had to know about my condition before I became a gundam pilot. Besides, I'd hate to tell everyone now and have them look at me with pity. I sigh and avidly watch G lift some papers out of a folder. His shoulders are tense and he moves jerkily. He's nervous. I swallow. That's not good.  
  
"Well?" I ask tightly. My anxiety shows in my voice.  
  
"Well," G repeats, and shuffles the paper some more. "It was convenient for Vicki to get sick right when you needed these tests, hm? Otherwise this double visit would have seemed mighty odd." He laughs his rasping chuckle, and I try to curb my impatience. He's going to draw this out as long as he can. "I know you want this to be kept a secret." He studies me from under his mushroom cap of hair. God, I can't help it - he's hideous. Unlike Michael Jackson, 15 nose surgeries couldn't possibly make him look any worse. And that wart on the end of his nose- ugh! He looks like a wicked witch.  
  
I sigh. He's not that bad, really. He's keeping my secret exactly that, even though he doesn't have to. And he came all the way from the little meteoroid he's living on by L1 to do these tests at my request. He doesn't have to. But I know in his own demented way, he cares about me... almost like his own bloodchild, which is a really scary train of thought I'm going to end right now.  
  
I wait nervously, though I'm sure that to G, I** appear the picture of calm patience. After a moment, he shifts through the stack of paper in his hands. I glimpse pictures and a whole lotta numbers and assume that the sheets of paper are the results of my numerous scans. Finally G raises his head and regards me solemnly.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Duo," and my heart plummets to my toes, "but your cancer has not been cured."  
  
***  
  
* '98 Jeep Cherokee- Duo means A.C.198, not 1998. ^^;;;  
  
** G.I. Joe, American Hero! *bwhahahaha* 


	4. Part Three

Go Canada.  
www.sympatico.ca  
  
  
  
  
What About Me?  
Chapter Three  
  
Notes: There is a lot of medical talk in this chapter.  
I have no idea what I'm talking about.  
Just to make that clear.  
  
***  
  
I'm so sorry... but your cancer has not been cured...  
  
Wow. How do you feel when someone tells you that? Should you feel so empty and cold, yet bitter and mean as I do? What a damn shame, one part of my mind is thinking sadistically, while the other sighs, Why let yourself hope, Duo? Nothing in your life would be so easy.  
  
"Duo?" G asks uneasily. "Are you okay?" At my hard, frustrated look, he looks chagrined and murmurs, "No, of course you're not." I make a 'duh' sound and we both sit in strained silence, with me musing over what I'm going to do now and him musing over God only knows what.  
  
G sighs and settles down to business. "Well, Duo, I really don't know what to tell you," he says, flipping through the stack of papers once again. "I've tried every technique I know of. I've asked colleagues and consulted textbooks. The only option left really is chemotherapy, which you absolutely refuse to consider..."  
  
I grab my plait of hair and glare at him. "You don't understand how much this hair means to me. Hell, I don't even know."  
  
"So much you're willing to risk your life on it?" G asks quietly. I ponder the enormity of that decision for a moment before replying equally as quietly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
G gives a loud and hearty snort of derision which sounds more like the laughter of a constipated elephant. He walks over to a cabinet and removes a small pill vial from inside. It gets tossed into the air and caught as he shuffles back over to me and drops it into my palm. I stare first at him and then at the vial in surprise, turning it over so I can read the prescription. The only thing written on it is a name I don't think I can even pronounce, much less spell. G starts to speak as I look over the bottle.  
  
"Well, Duo, I'd hoped it wouldn't come down to this, but this is really the only option left to us. Before you commit yourself to this procedure, let me warn you it is potentially dangerous and untested. However, I believe it better to take one last chance than to let yourself go quietly, without a fight." He waits for my nod, then takes the cue and continues. "In rough terms, what's in that bottle is basically a hormone. It comes from an endangered plant deep in the rain forests of South America. It's very rare and extremely difficult to gather and produce into medicine. The plant is also very... how to put this... unpredictable. Once a man suffering from a cancer much like yours ate the plant, and his cancer, rare and untreatable, I might add, was cured within a week. In another incident, a perfectly healthy man ate it and died within a few hours. Highly unstable, as you can see."  
  
I nod. Jesus, does G expect me to take this plant as a treatment? I glance down at the bottle and am reminded it's really my last choice. I think G and I both know the cancer is too far gone for chemotherapy to cure. Is it better to put up on last fight or throw in the towel and let death come for my tortured, battered soul?  
  
G goes on. "Scientists have been studying up on this plant, Dr. Gayo among them. You remember Dr. Gayo, I've consulted with him many times on your condition. Anyway, they noticed that a high ratio of people with intestinal cancers such as yours are cured of their disease after the eating this plant. Now they're doing a formal study on it. Most of their patients are people with no choices left to them, such as yourself. I think this may be your best chance of survival, Duo. I will warn you, there's a 64% chance the plant will either speed up your cancer or kill you outright. However, the risk of death otherwise is much worse."  
  
No feeling shows on my face, but my hands rub the bottle steadily between them. I don't fidget as normal people do when they're nervous. If I'm not anxious about anything, then I won't be moving. No foot twitching, no plucking of hair, no cracking of knuckles. I'm just content to be still, a fact most people who know me find hard to believe.  
  
"How long?" I ask. I leave it up to Dr. G to figure which one of two ways that question can be interpreted.  
  
"Without treatment, you would die in about two years. By one year, you would be bedridden. It's going to spread fast, Duo," he warns. "One day you'll feel fine and the next you'll feel like your insides are on fire as the cancer eats away at your intestines. It won't be pretty or nice. Your type of cancer is a manifestation of the L2 plague. When you didn't succumb to it as a child, it remained dormant in your immune system for quite some time. I suppose with the stress of the wars, your immune system could no longer keep it at bay and it appeared, not as the lung sickness, but in it's extremely rare and dangerous cancer from. Only one other person has had it in recorded history."  
  
I give a scornful laugh. "Lemme guess, they died."  
  
"Painfully," G replies.  
  
I roll my eyes in a sarcastic gesture of thanks. I really needed to know that if I die it will be a horrible agonizing death, just like I needed to know your nose produces 50 buckets of snot a day. Honestly! Who wants to know, who cares, and who really needs to know that? Not me, thank you very much.  
  
I regard the bottle again. Fascinating little cylinder of death, and possibly life. Was I really willing to risk it all? Was I willing not to?  
  
"How long?" I ask again.  
  
"If you start the treatment now, theoretically, it would take about three to six months for the plant to kick in. Remember, the man who ate it and was cured of his cancer ingested it in it's pure, plant form, not the processed pill version. A positive effect will eliminate the cancer's spreading in about nine months. By the end of two or three years, the cancer would be totally erased from your body. However, with a negative effect, in which the plant would either act as a catalyst to the cancer's spreading or poison your bloodstream, you could die in any where from three days to three years. It all depends on the nature the pill takes."  
  
I force my hands to stop their rolling movement with the bottle. I let out a fast, deep breath and relax my body. No use getting nervous over it. I need to calm down and think this over rationally. What benefits can I reap from taking the pill? An increased life span and total elimination of the cancer. What can I lose from taking this pill? Basically, my life. Yet, I can also lose my life if I don't stake a chance on this last ditch effort. Either way, I could die. But by choosing one path, I most certainly will die, but if I choose the other road, I could possibly live. Well, no hard choice there. At least I'll be helping the scientific community.  
  
I toss the bottle up in the air and catch it, throwing G a jaunty grin. "Well, it looks like I'll be taking this pill after all." I then address the bottle, still being tossed in the air. "Please don't kill me." G doesn't smile, but the corners of his eyes crinkle up. I laugh for him. "So how do I take these?"  
  
"Take two every week. I suggest one on Sunday and one on Wednesday or Thursday. Whatever you do, take your dose the same time on the same day every week. If it looks like the cancer is abating, we'll lower the dosage to once a week. Fairly large pills, so I suggest coming in about once every two months. If Hilde asks questions, tell her it's just checkups for post battle stress. I know how you want to keep your cancer quiet. Every refill I'll do a scan and let you know the results at the next checkup."  
  
"Okay, then, sounds all worked out. I'd better go then." I glance at the clock. "I've been gone a while. I've got," my voice softens, "a baby to get back to."  
  
G does that weird (freaky too, I'll admit) smile with his eyes again and motions me toward the door. "Then by all means, hurry home, boy. Can't leave your little princess waiting."  
  
I shoot him an mock exasperated look as I head to the door. "Hold it, old man, I'm not a puppet dangling on strings from her fingers yet." G just laughs and holds the door open for me. I pause in the opening. "Hey... thanks," I say quickly, not used to thanking the lecherous old coot for anything, and leave before he has a chance to reply. God, that was embarrassing.  
  
***  
  
"'ello?" I call easily, stepping through the front door into the foyer. "Where's the princess and the old hag who calls herself her nanny?"  
  
"Duo!" a voice calls out, pretending to be angry. "Don't call me that, or no playtime with Vicki."  
  
"Wah, Hilde, you're so mean!" I tease, walking into the kitchen, where Hilde is getting an early lunch ready. I continue on into the family room, where Vicki is navigating the room by holding onto the furniture. Drooling all over the dark brown leather surfaces too, I note. Hilde's not gonna be happy about that. She just cleaned in here yesterday.  
  
Vicki spots me standing in the doorway. "Da da!" she calls out gleefully, and my heart goes into my throat with love as she attempts to toddle towards me. However, she hasn't yet learned to stand without support and falls to her bottom. She lets out a piercing, painful cry, and quickly I walk to her, scooping her into my arms.  
  
"Hey, hey, Peaches 'n Cream, no crying, or Da will have to sing," I tease, jostling her up and down playfully. "You don't want that, do you?" Baby Vicki immediately starts to laugh; she loves to bounce. Hilde comes and stands in the doorway, a bowlful of macaroni braced against her stomach.  
  
"Please don't, Duo," she says. "By the way, what took you so long? It's almost eleven. Is everything okay?"  
  
I look down into the chubby face of the cherub held in my arms. "Yup," I say softly, "everything is perfectly okay."  
  
*** 


	5. Interlude

Go Canada.  
www.sympatico.ca  
  
What About Me?  
Interlude  
  
Notes: Orginally Chapter Four, I thought it worked out better as an interlude, seeing as it's not from the normal POV. *grin*  
***  
  
Jan. 8, A.C. 203  
  
I pull my shoulder length blond hair into a ponytail at the base of my neck in preparation for the day. (I hope that, if I'm here for a while, it grows to a long enough length to be braided.) The blonde really doesn't suit my coloring, but the only other choice was red. You see my dilemma. Besides, with blonde hair my brown roots aren't as noticeable.  
  
I walk over to the crusty mirror above the equally disgusting dresser all my worldly possessions reside in. I'm again thankful that I got my own private room as I struggle to remove my contacts. My familiar, if dry, Prussian blue eyes finally stare back at me. Tilting my head back, I drop moisturizers into my eyes, then replace the contacts. Vivid purple eyes now dominate my face. My lips twitch as I remember why I chose this particular color. My almost-smile turns into an outright frown as my abused eyes sting and itch. I rub them and sigh. The things I do for a mission. No one here must ever know my real hair or eye color. That means I even have to sleep with the contacts in, for someone could come running to my room at any time with news of an upcoming battle, raid, or escape.  
  
Feeling slightly homesick in these terrorist surroundings, I open the second drawer in the dresser and remove the well-hidden secret bottom. I pull out the only thing inside. Once the dust has been blown off, eyes the same color as my contacts smile up at me.  
  
Duo. I trace that madly grinning face and feel something pinch inside. I haven't treated him well. I replace the picture, and, my thoughts already on Duo, wonder what he'd think of my new appearance. The hair and eyes would shock him, I know, but I wonder what he'd think of the earring and tattoo? On my right ear are a plain gold bulb in my earlobe and a silver hoop higher up. (I'm the only man in the group with less than five piercings. It does make me stand out, but I draw the line at a nipple ring.) On my left bicep, an elaborate "W" twists and turns whenever I flex my arm. No one here knows what it's for, and no one asks. I'm thankful for that.  
  
No more reminiscing for today. I leave my room and head to the watch house. I'm assigned to guard duty today. It took me a long time to gain the trust of Kulev, the leader of this group of rebels. He puts me on guard duty whenever he's expecting something or someone of importance to come in. That's good for me, and I relate whatever I learn back to Preventers on my laptop. Via code and numerous reroutes, of course. Wouldn't do to have someone find out a Preventer is in their midst and have me executed or painfully tortured. I've seen them torture people. It's not pretty.  
  
Remembering my homesickness of earlier, I wonder how much longer this damn mission is going to take. It's already been two years. I have a feeling I won't be here any longer than a year, though. Kulev is getting impatient, and it shows in the restlessness of the troops. He's beginning to make errors in his eagerness. Just the other day he told me he plans to make a strike soon. A small one, though, so he's not completely stupid.  
  
Home. I wonder about that. I know I'm not happy being married to Relena. I love her, but not the way she wants me to. It more like the love for a close friend, or sister. Certainly not the love a husband should have for his wife.  
  
Even though I'm unhappy, I'm still hesitant to break off the marriage. For one, the press would probably humiliate her to no end. "Husband of 2 years divorces after leaving on mission 10 months into marriage." That's not the real reason and you know it, my mind scolds me. You're more worried that Duo wouldn't take you back even if you did leave Relena.  
  
I scowl at this annoying little voice and push it away. I'll deal with it some other time. I reach the watch house, high upon a hill where the watchers can see the road and anyone passing on it clearly. Del waves cheerily to me from his seat by the cameras. I raise an eyebrow at him and move to my seat. I have the best eyes, so Kulev put me in the middle where I can directly see the road. Cameras don't always catch everything.  
  
Del, who reminds me in some ways of Duo, shouts over to the other occupant in the room. Croaker ("Croaky" to Del) says something back in his tired, gravelly voice and tosses him a bag of peanuts. I watch it sail through the air, decline the offer of some, and resign myself to a whole day of watching this line thin of old brown dirt.  
  
The things I do for a mission.  
  
*** 


	6. Part Four

Go Canada.  
www.sympatico.ca  
  
What About Me?  
Chapter 4  
  
***  
  
September 28, A.C. 204 (Twenty-two months after Chapter Three)  
  
"Hilde, you're really going to Washington? Vicki just turned three!"  
  
Hilde disinterestedly shoved another shirt into her suitcase and turned to look at me over her shoulder, lips quirked in a smile. "Yeah. 14 days ago."  
  
I dismiss that irrelevant piece of information with a elegant wave of my hand. "So? It's like a rule or something -- you have to stay at least until the end of the month."  
  
Hilde gives up attempting to pack while I'm talking to her and turns around to face me. "Duo, the end of the month is in two days!"  
  
I attempt to look nonchalant as I lean against the doorframe and examine my nails. "So?" I repeat.  
  
Hilde props her hands on her hips and gives me a dubious look. "Surely you can take care of a three year old by yourself. Vicki's potty-trained and is a pretty good shot at getting the spoon in her mouth. It's not that difficult."  
  
I protest, "She just got over her 'terrible two' stage two weeks ago!"  
  
Hilde folds her arms over her chest and gives a Cheshire cat smile. "Just a minute ago, two weeks was nothing."  
  
I scowl and graciously give in to defeat -- I stomp from the room like I am the toddler and huff downstairs to sit on the couch. After a minute Vicki wanders in from the kitchen colored a suspicious shade of white. "Da da," she greets me as she shimmies her way onto the couch. "I white."  
  
I eye the handprints on the brown leather -- and myself -- and reply, "So I see." Vicki climbs her way into my lap. I gently wipe some of the mystery powder off of Vicki's cheek and sniff it. It doesn't smell peculiar, so I touch the tip of my finger to my tongue and pray to God for both Vicki and my own sakes' that it's not some poisonous substance. I'm vastly relieved to taste flour.  
  
Wait a tic - flour? "Vicki!" I admonish. She has the grace to look chagrined. "This is the fourth time this month you've gotten into the flour! What is it with you and flour anyway?" I pick the little imp up and carry her to the bathroom with every intent on cleaning her up. Five minutes later, a marginally cleaner Vicki skimps happily from the bathroom while I emerge looking like some drenched German Shepherd. Absently, I walk into the kitchen, which looks like a tornado came through and destroyed the bag of flour. In a sort of detached fascination, I wring my braid out and fetch the mop to begin the arduous task of cleaning up after Her Highness. To my intense amusement, the water in my hair is nearly sufficient enough to clean nearly the entire area of the rather spacious kitchen. It's just as I toss the now-white washrag into the sink that Hilde walks in with a changed Vicki on her hip.  
  
She raises an eyebrow at my appearance but only says, "See? Not so hard."  
  
***  
  
"Bye bye, Vicki. You take good care of Duo for me, kay?" Hilde requests of the baby. Vicki gives a lopsided grin and attempts to stick her entire fist into her mouth.  
  
I idly remove said fist and wave the hand in a mockery of a wave. "Say 'goodbye and may you never come back' to Aunt Hilde, Vicki."  
  
"Bye bye," the girl intones gravely.  
  
Hilde opens her mouth to trade barbs with me when a yellow car toots -- and I mean toots, little puffs of steam coming out of the exhaust pipe and everything -- and pulls up to the curb. Hilde stares at the thing with a look of horror. I guess I sympathize -- I mean, you can hear the thing a mile away, and the bottom hinge of the driver's door comes loose when the man exits and he has to lift the door and put it back into place, with the ease of long practice, I might add. Plus it's yellow. Hate yellow cars.  
  
I swallow back a laugh and say cheerfully, "There's your cab, Hilde! Look, that nice driver -- " who happens to look like a second cousin of Dr. G's, " -- is taking your bags to the trunk so I don't have to get any closer than I possibly need too. Bye." I beam. "Have fun in Washington, doing the date thing or whatever."  
  
"Helping Sally nab Wufei," Hilde says absently as she watches the man dump her luggage -- expensive, designer stuff, I might add -- into the trunk. The whole front end of the car tips up. Hilde gives one of those small, hysterical laughs and cautiously sits in the backseat.  
  
"Hey, little lady, yous don't have to sit all the way back here. Come'n sit up here next ta Fred." The man leers.  
  
"Heh, that's quite all right. I love the backseat." The man shrugs and closes the door. Hilde's face contorts briefly behind the glass before she lowers the window and sticks her head out. "Bye guys! I'll be back soon. If I'm not killed on the way there," she mutters darkly as the man makes a racket kicking at the door. She sticks her head back in and says something about the condition of the handle as she rolls the window back up. Vicki and I watch bemusedly as the cab backfires, splutters to a start, and toots off down the road. I can imagine the color of Hilde's face.  
  
***  
  
Two days later  
  
"Da, I goded on the big girl potty!" Vicki informs me when she toddles back into the kitchen.  
  
I nod absently as I eye the level of the (new) flour I'm currently pouring into a measuring cup. "Good girl. Did you wash your hands?"  
  
Vicki gives a little frown and pokes at the tummy left exposed by the t-shirt that's stretched to it's limits over her belly. "Ums..."  
  
I sigh; that would mean no. "There's the sink. Wash 'em." After measuring out milk and butter, I begin to crack eggs into the mixing bowl. I stir and keep an eye on Vicki as she awkwardly removes the step from under the sink and climbs up two to reach. Stepping around her to get the blueberries from the refrigerator, I turn the faucet for her and return to the bowl to dump the ripe, blue fruit in.  
  
"Bu-berries?" Vicki asks eagerly from where she's scrubbing her hands together vigorously at the sink. She gets off the step, leaving the water on, and runs over tug with wet hands on my pants.  
  
I chuckle and turn the water off for her. "Yes. Bu-berry pancakes. You love 'em, don'tcha? Why don't you go watch TV or play while they cook."  
  
Vicki screws up her face in indecision then nods. "Mmkay." She makes her way over to our kitchen table, which is similar to the booth one would see in a restaurant. Climbing into her booster seat, Vicki turns on the ceiling-mounted TV and channel surfs. I listen with half an ear as she flips through, eventually ending on the news station with a delightful cry of "News person!" I don't know why, but she likes the news. Must be those diplomatic genes.  
  
I didn't realize then, as I half-heartedly listened to the newsman, how much his words would impact my life...  
  
"After five short but heinous years behind the wheel of the drug trade, Kulev Mien is finally behind federal bars. The illustrious criminal controlled a prosperous drug trade stationed in the Czech Republic and neighboring countries Poland, Germany, Slovakia, and Austria, and sold drugs all over the world. On April 11th, Mien was apprehended in his attempt to assassinate Nicholi Cailhoun during his visit to U.S. Embassy stationed in the Czech Republic. Cailhoun has been the most ardent politician in the demand for Mien's arrest, donating large sums of his own personal money to the search and capture of the drug lord, headed by Japan's Preventers. Apparently, Cailhoun was considered a threat to Mien's continued safety in hiding. The assassin assigned by Mien to kill Mr. Cailhoun turned out to be an undercover Preventer. Head Captain Lady Une personally oversaw the assembly of a SWAT team, which captured Mien successfully. No one was injured. The undercover Preventers name was not disclosed by Preventers' Headquarters. Mien is sentenced to stand trial before a federal court sometime in October..."  
  
If I had thought about it, I would've know just who that undercover officer was...  
  
***  
  
October 3, AC 204 (3 days later)  
  
The plane, donated by none other than Mr. Quatre R. Winner himself, taxied gently to a stop on the runway outside of Tokyo. Luckily for it's passenger, there were only six people waiting for him, as the landing was a secret so the paparazzi would not hound the tired man as he stepped onto home soil for the first time in three years.  
  
Trowa and Quatre waited with the patience that came easily to the green eyed man and was necessary for one as high up in the business chain as Quatre. Lady Une, surprisingly eager to participate in the scheme concocted by everyone present, impatiently awaited the disembarkment of her Preventer. Wufei stood with his customary cool indifference, but on the inside he, too, was curious about the man aboard the shuttle. Sally wondered absently, How many broken bones does he have this time?  
  
The only member of the group impatiently fidgeting was Hilde. Certainly she would be a surprise to the visitor, but she would easily ignore his abrupt and, sometimes, rude manner for the sake of her friend. Besides, she'd never gotten to play matchmaker before. Her lips quirked in a smile that drew a suspicious glance from Wufei. It was bound to be fun, with this pair.  
  
Heero stepped off the shuttle with an inward sigh and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the ache that came with typing up a report for seven hours straight. As his bleary eyes focused he noticed the people waiting for him across the runway. Turning around to collect his bags, he saw that they'd already been whisked away by one of the Magwanacs assigned to his plane by Quatre. With a shrug (he certainly had no aversion to carrying anything he didn't have to), he collected the only bag on him, his laptop's case, and started across the runway to the group waiting to receive him. They met him half way.  
  
Heero found himself greeted in a variety of interesting ways. His hand was pumped vigorously by Trowa and Wufei, as they were not prone to more open shows of affection. Quatre, however, had no such reservations and he happily hugged Heero before stepping back and observing three years of wear and tear on the ex-Gundam pilot's body. Sally herself was halfway through a checkup before Lady Une suggested they start for headquarters. They did so, but not before Hilde got a glomp of her own in on a flabbergasted Heero. Hilde mentally added swirly eyes and a sweatdrop as Heero gaped at her in confusion.  
  
"It's good to have you back, Heero." Lady Une finally got in her greeting as the seven sped toward Preventer's Headquarters in her "work" car, a spacious black limousine. Heero nodded absently to her, before his weary eyes resumed their continuous span around his environment. The former soldiers all noted the wary suspicion in his eyes and his tense shoulders, as though Heero were still inside Kulev's stronghold. Hilde remained happily oblivious.  
  
Lady Une caught the eyes of her two main cohorts in this scheme, who gave her affirmative nods. Sally and Hilde then resumed grinning like lunatics, who - thankfully - went unnoticed by Heero. Une smothered her own grin, coughing softly into her palm.  
  
Heero's eyes slid over to her, and, feeling that she had a least a third of his attention, Lady Une started to speak. "Heero," she began, "I really hate to do this to you so soon after you've returned..." She had his full attention now, she noted, biting on the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Quatre, however, had no such self control and was laughing himself silly on the other side of the car, though he successfully hid it by faking a coughing fit. Trowa was pounding his back, visibly concerned because the Winner heir was beginning to turn a fair shade of red. Lady Une bit harder and continued, "But things on L2 are in a horrible mess right now... We're going to need to send you up there..."  
  
Heero yawned pointedly.  
  
Embarrassed, Lady Une hastened to say, "We'll discuss it at Headquarters."  
  
The ride continued in silence save for the occasional wheeze from Quatre and the sound of either Trowa or Hilde's hand whapping him on the back.  
  
Just before they reached Headquarters, Heero said, "Lady Une?"  
  
She politely turned her eyes to him. "Yes?"  
  
With ironic humor, "Don't I ever get a vacation?" 


	7. Part Five

Go Canada.  
www.sympatico.ca  
  
Chapter Five  
  
***  
  
Next Day  
  
"Daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy DADDY!"  
  
Wa-THUMP! The impact of a small, yet heavy, weight on my chest was enough to wake me up -- as well as knock the air out of me for the next couple of years.  
  
I cracked one eye open painfully to see a happily grinning Vicki sitting on my chest the way a victor puts his foot on a loser's chest. "Vicki," I wheezed, still attempting to reclaim my breath, "what did I say about waking up before eight on a Saturday?" I snatched the girl around the middle and pinned her to the bed, tickling her mercilessly on the spot right below her last rib.  
  
"S-sorry, Daddy," she gasped, trying to squirm away, "but your 'puter's beepin'and it's really 'nnoying!"  
  
My hands immediately ceased and I sighed. "Can you pour a bowl of cereal?" At her nod, I picked Vicki up and set her down at the side of the bed, giving her bottom a gentle push. "Go do so, okay, while Da responds to his hail." Vicki scampered off in the direction of the kitchen and I trudged over to the adjacent study, where my laptop was indeed beeping - quite insistently. I plopped down in my easy chair and scrubbed my hands over my slightly stubbled face - hey! I have reached puberty, you know - before letting loose a huge, jaw stretching yawn. Still knuckling one eye, I reached out my other hand and wriggled the mouse, dissolving the screen saver. I quickly typed in my password at the prompt and accessed my mail. Sure enough, there was a message from Lady Une - Priority One. That's the only reason it would beep.  
  
I clicked on the subject line.  
  
To: capturedShini@preventers.com  
  
From: headhancho@preventers.com  
  
Subject: Priority One Mission  
  
Duo-  
  
Good morning, sleepy-head. No doubt I have roused you from your coma like slumber, but I do hope you'll understand. I have a mission for you; it should prove to be interesting. It will require a lot of stealth and snooping around - great skills of yours.  
  
Curiosity peaked, I leaned a little closer to the computer screen.  
  
You should have seen the news of Mien's capture on news by now. (Any information from now on should be kept SECRET.) Mien had connections reaching further than the Czech Republic and Europe. His connections spanned all the way to L2.  
  
My eyebrows drew together in concern - more for Vicki than anything else. My eyeballs practically touched the screen by now.  
  
You may not realize it, but there is a small satellite due south of L2, less than two and a half miles from the south exit. It was established a long time ago as a farming satellite, one of the first of it's kind. (As you are aware, most satellites are mining, and most are owned by Winner Co.) Due to the low percentage of yield produced by these satellites, most were shut down or renovated. For some reason this one was forgotten. A successful farming satellite requires a lot of support - support Mien was apparently willing to supply. The abandoned satellite was cultivated into a drug factory. It grows many plants from which drugs are made - more than 53% of it's yield is poppyseed. Mien had connections at the south gate - the raw plants were smuggled into L2 and shipped to factories where Mien made much of his drugs, which, as you know, he sold on the black market in Europe (and consequently, L2. The sales he made there were overlooked as there is already a large drug trade in L2.).  
  
That's the brief. Here's your mission: Mien stationed a lot of his loyal aides here. They are very angry at his capture. A group of delegates is scheduled to arrive at L2 in exactly seventeen days. Among the delegates is a very important person - Mr. Calihoun.  
  
Around this point, 'Oh shit oh shit oh shit' was being to run through my head. I could put two and two together and get disaster.  
  
Mien's aides are very angry at Mr. Calihoun - I'm sure you know why. Mr. Calihoun is very vital in the peace between the European Conference (1) and the rest of the world. Under no circumstances can he be assassinated. A terrorist will take any opportunity he can get his hands on to get rid of an important enemy leader.  
  
Ain't that the truth.  
  
This meeting is very important and can under no circumstances be abandoned. This is L2's only chance to recruit help for the colony. It's already taken more than 50 years to get a meeting with the people who can help L2. L2 won't have another chance. If L2's crime percentage goes up any more, the colony will have to be quarantined until a solution is thought of.  
  
You need to locate Mien's trusted aides and any connections they might have. Once you have done so, notify Preventers and the local police or FBI force for assistance in apprehending them. I've provided profiles on these aides for you to download.  
  
The Preventer who was working undercover in Mien's main operation will be coming in to assist you. Full cooperation, you understand, Maxwell? This is NOT a solo mission.  
  
Good luck.  
  
This message will self-destruct in 11 seconds.  
  
~The Lady  
  
I allowed a fond smile to pass my lips as exactly 11 seconds later a tiny box appeared on my screen reading 'Boom.' The scattered reprimands and the voluntary use of Une's nickname all signaled of her fondness for me, though her letter was all business. A frown touched my lips. I hadn't had any involvement in this... 'Operation Mien' or whatever it's code name was and all of a sudden Une was throwing me in the mix? I shrugged; no doubt my new status as a member of this operation was the reason Une was sending in this undercover agent. Why didn't she enclose his name? Sneaky of her.  
  
Crossing my arms and hunching my shoulders, I brooded unhappily on the fact that 'this is NOT a solo mission.' ...I could do it by myself.  
  
Sighing unhappily, I downloaded the files and went in search of Vicki. Can never leave a three year old by herself for too long.  
  
I walked into the kitchen and repressed the urge to scream. It was WAY too early in the morning for this.  
  
"Hi Daddy," Vicki said innocently from the kitchen booth. The box of Fruity Pebbles lay on it's side next to a huge mound of the cereal, under which Vicki's bowl presumably hid. The box was empty. It had been full this morning.  
  
The rest of the cereal was scattered over every available surface in the kitchen, along with milk and various kitchen utensils. The steps lay in a puddle of milk on the floor. Vicki stuck her fork into the bowl and only succeeded in getting more milk and cereal on the floor. Giggling merrily, she picked up a spoon in her other hand and proceeded to eat the cereal, alternating hands with each bite. Like most children, she got more on her than in her.  
  
I grabbed the broom from the closet, relieved Vicki hadn't decided to be "nice" again and attempt to make my coffee. It had ended up much like today's Cereal Incident.  
  
It was a long morning.  
  
***  
  
Heero felt exactly the same way.  
  
He pressed the heels of his hands roughly against his eyes, trying to rub away the gritty feeling one gets from too much stress, too little sleep, way too much computer screen time, and not enough eye-drops. He was exhausted, dirty, irritated, and caffeine-deprived.  
  
"Let me get this straight," he mumbled, voice husky and raw. "You want me to go up to the most dangerous colony in space when my nerves are already shot and work with my ex-lover, who hates my guts. Then, you want us to infiltrate Mien's incredibly complex hierarchy. I gotta tell you Une, that's gonna be next to impossible." He lowered his hands. "I'm sure they're on the lookout for my face. Not only that, you know how much Duo hates help on any of his missions. You really think he's going to work voluntarily with me?"  
  
Lady Une's voice was clipped. "He'd better. He's a sworn-in Preventers officer on indefinite guard duty on L2. As his boss, he's to carry out any order I give him, and be damned if he doesn't like it. I don't expect personal grudges to complicate the work of my officers. " She shot him a glare worth of her old title as Trieze's right hand lady.  
  
Heero sighed and rubbed at a muscle jumping in his neck. "I know, I know, but couldn't you send in another officer?"  
  
"Why?" she said shortly. "Why send in somebody else when I can send in the best? You know you're itching to take this assignment, Yuy." Heero winced. Formal last name. She was pissed. "If you stayed here you'd go bonkers in a few days with nothing to do. The only reason you don't want to go on this mission is because you'll see Duo again, and you're afraid you'll give in to temptation. " Her voice gentled. "That can be taken care of, Heero. You know you're not happy married to Relena, and anyway, there's nothing you can do for her now. "  
  
Heero determinably changed the subject. "Couldn't I work with somebody else on L2?"  
  
Une's hand slammed down on the desk. "Stop trying to change the subject! I'm trying to help you, because I can't stand to see you miserable any more than anyone else around you can. NO, I'm not going to send someone else up there. For two reasons." She held up fingers for emphasis. "One. Duo's already up there, and why pay for two plane tickets when I can skimp and pay for just one? You know how tight Preventers are on funds, Heero. Two. Nobody knows L2 and the people there like Duo. Lots of people claim to be experts on L2, but face it, none of these so called "experts" could stay on L2 for more than a week before they would flee in terror. Duo's LIVED there. He knows secrets. He can call in favors. You and Duo are best suited for the job. End of discussion."  
  
Une sat down with a thump in her chair and ran a hand through shaggy bangs, before pinching the bridge of her nose and rocking the swivel chair gently. Heero immediately felt guilty. He knew how stressed she was. Why was he making things harder for her?  
  
"I'll go," he said quietly. "And I'll listen to you. What did you want to say?"  
  
Une looked up quickly. Sensing he truly meant what he said, she sat up a little straighter, clasping her hands on her desk. "The psychologists think the real Relena is hiding away inside her mind because of guilt. Even before you left she knew you weren't... happy, living where and how you were. When she had Victoria, she felt worse. She knew you'd do the honorable thing and stay with her for the sake of your daughter."  
  
Heero closed his eyes and slumped down in his chair. His daughter. He'd never known. Not until the flight home, when Quatre had sent him a personal email telling him all about it. He said he was sorry for the impersonal way an email would deliver the news, but he knew Heero would want to think about it. And think about it he had. Not only about his child, but about Duo as well. How had Duo felt when he got custody of Victoria? Betrayed? Taking care of his ex-lover's child. Heero sighed. What had he been thinking? It wasn't that he thought Victoria wasn't in good hands - he knew she was. But he'd never thought about how Duo would feel when he wrote up that will. He'd only been thinking of how relieved he'd be. Selfish. He was always thinking of himself. He'd been selfish when he married Relena, because that way he felt secure. He was doing his mission. It was what he was born to do. He hadn't thought about how Relena would feel when she realized he didn't love her. He hadn't thought of how Duo would feel when he suddenly found himself with a painful reminder of Heero. He hadn't thought at all.  
  
Une waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts until he signaled to her that he was ready. "The psychologists think this build up of guilt caused Relena to go temporarily crazy. They think.... " she hesitated. "They think if you talk to her, she'll come out of it. Think of how great that would be for everyone," she said earnestly, like she was trying to convince him of something - to talk to Relena, perhaps. "Sank would have a leader. Vicki a Mommy. And I know Relena. She'd insist that you and her get a divorce." Heero quickly looked at her; Une could see the guilt in his eyes and tried to think of a way to reassure him. "It would be what she wanted, Heero. I don't think either of you loved each other. You married for duty. She married on a crush." Une shook her head. "Its not what either of you want or need."  
  
There was silence in the office for several minutes, disturbed only by the tick tock of Lady Une's clock. Heero's eyes were drawn to that clock, as it steadily ticked away the time. The longer he waited, the longer it was until he met Relena. Until he saw Vicki for the first time. Until he saw... Duo. Time was ticking away, faster and faster. His life was ticking away.  
  
Heero turned his eyes to Lady Une's compassionate brown ones. "When can I see her?"  
  
***  
  
"See you soon, Heero." Quatre smiled softly and offered Heero a hug several days later at Tokyo's International Spaceport. "You know as soon as you and Duo give the word, we'll all be up there to help."  
  
Heero nodded. "I know," he said simply, and offered his goodbyes to Trowa and Wufei before boarding his shuttle to L2. Hilde was already on there, waiting for him to board. As Heero buckled himself down in preparation for spaceflight, he tried to imagine what it would be like to see Duo again. What would he look like? Would he look, act, any different? Hilde said he was happy in his life. Would Heero's re-entry make him angry or bitter? He pushed these depressing thoughts away as the shuttle rumbled to life underneath him. Hilde flashed him a thumbs up across the aisle, and Heero offered a weak smile in return, looking out the window as the plane rocketed off the ramp into the sky.  
  
Wufei said the Mad 5 were thinking about rebuilding Wing and Deathscythe to fight Mien. Could he really be that strong? Heero wondered as the shuttle entered space. L2 was a glittery star in the distance. Heero would be meeting Duo again for the first time in four years in less than 24 hours. Heero decided he better get some sleep for the confrontation ahead.  
  
As Heero drifted off to sleep across from her, Hilde smiled and pulled out a notebook, withdrawing a pen from her purse. The Mien mission was legit and every bit as dangerous as it was implied to be. Heero and Duo were also as vital to the mission as Lady Une said. But, Hilde reflected as she whisked off a checkmark next to "Step One" in the notebook, all missions - even deadly ones such as this - had subplots.  
  
***  
  
(1) European Conference: The assimilation of all of the countries of Europe (including superpowers England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Russia) and those Middle Eastern countries with nearby borders. The Sanq Kingdom is the only eastern European country which is not part of the conference. 


	8. Part 6

What About Me?  
  
Chapter 6  
  
***  
  
October 8, AC 204   
  
For some unaccountable reason I was nervous all day. This was the day Hilde returned with my new partner in this mission, which, by the way, I was liking less and less with every report I read. All of Mien's aides were nasty fellas with rap sheets as long as my braid for a variety of offenses: grand theft auto, breaking and entering, armed robbery, manslaughter, murder, rape... the list went on and on and I wasn't too sure I wanted to be infiltrating and tricking these highly dangerous people. I, for one, felt a little rusty after more than six years since my last big assignment, despite my regular visits to the gym and my Preventers physicals once every six months, which stated that I was in prime physical condition. I hoped my new "partner" knew what he was doing, and tried to convince myself that he was, seeing as how he caught Mien and managed to stay alive while doing so. I was beginning to get a bad feeling about this guy for which Lady Une left me no name.  
  
My continuing nerves caused me to become a little short with Vicki, and, after making her cry for the third time that morning, made every effort to loosen up a bit before I tucked her in for her afternoon nap; after doing so, I headed to the kitchen to be chilled by a few more reports on Mien's aides while waited for Hilde and the new guy to return, having already made up the guest bedroom in the house. I certainly didn't want this new guy to think that a Gundam Pilot wouldn't go into a mission prepared, and I was determined to have everything memorized. Just to show him up.  
  
***  
  
When we got on the shuttle I was nervous; when we touched down on L2 I was terrified; now, on our way to Duo's house, I was beyond petrified. Certainly it would have made several people I know laugh until they had aneurysms and died to know that the "great Heero Yuy" was absolutely shaking in his boots to meet a three-year old little girl and a 24 year-old man I knew for a fact I out-weighed, out-muscled, and out-grew. (Although common sense would dictate that a Japanese man always be shorter than an American one, I hypothesized the vitamins I took during the war made me an uncommonly tall Asian person at 5'10", and Duo's malnourishment as a young teenager caused him to be a shorter-than-average Caucasian at 5'8".)  
  
At 13:00 hours we pulled into the driveway of a huge (at least for L2 standards), moderately-attractive two story brick house. Practically on the verge of passing out, I stumbled fearfully behind Hilde as she strode confidently up to the door, seemingly not bothered by the fact that Duo would rip her limb from limb when he realized who she had brought home to be living with him for the next several months, at least, if not longer. Removing a key from her pocket, Hilde opened the ordinary-looking deep brown door (why I thought it would be anything other than ordinary I don't know) and stepped inside, calling out cheerfully, "Duo! I'm back, and I've brought the guy in to help you on the Mien case."  
  
From the direction of the doorway on the left I heard a mumbling involving something with the word "name," before the sound of a scraping chair was heard and a wonderfully deep, melodic voice was whispering, "Shhh, Hilde! Vicki's sleeping!"   
  
In a daze, I heard Hilde whispering back, "OH! Sorry, Duo, I forgot," before I finally caught a glimpse of my long-ago lover and felt like Wing Zero had decided to plant it's foot in my chest.  
  
Despite his short height, Duo still appeared to fill up a room, with broad shoulders and a thin athletic body I knew he kept in good shape from regular workouts and I knew despite his slender stature weighted in at close to 200 pounds from well-hidden muscles. The braid was actually shorter than I remembered, and I figured having not cut it since he was born, the split ends had to have been getting pretty bad and forced him to chop some of it off. The color was still that rich mahogany brown, with auburn and golden highlights twisting through the braided mass.   
  
When I finally dared bring my eyes up to his face, I disregarded their shocked state and focused in on the color of his eyes, still that unusual purple that haunted my dreams with the look of betrayal that I'd last seen in them. Though Duo didn't have the lash length of say, me (Relena once told me my lashes better are suited to a lady's), they still framed his eyes attractively, the same rich brown as his hair. He'd lost most of the baby fat from the war, his face angled and sharpened into the planes of a man. His high cheekbones made his large eyes stand out even more, and, though dropped in an expression of shock, his lips still looked full and inviting. I remembered well their brilliance when lifted in a smile, but at the moment he looked like he needed to be hooked up to a heart monitor. I uneasily stood where I'd stopped inside the front doorway and waited for what he had to say to be after several years of abandonment and betrayal.  
  
It sounded like he said "I hate being psychic." Did I mention I was confused as well as scared?  
  
***  
  
I could hear Hilde's rather noisy entry into the house, followed by softer footsteps of someone I could tell had been a soldier from their unnaturally soft tread. Nervous, and not just because Hilde had probably woken up Vicki, I stepped into the kitchen doorway and felt my heart stop.   
  
'Damn, I hate being psychic,' I thought to myself, and might have said it out loud from the startled look Heero suddenly sent my way. I made an effort to keep my thoughts to myself this time, 'Ever since I realized no one would give me his name, I feared my new partner would be Heero.' I gave a mental sigh. 'I should've known. Only Heero could infiltrate a complex hierarchy such as Mien's in as little as three years and come out alive. He always was a tough little bastard.'  
  
The man who'd haunted my dreams (nightmares and wet alike), stood inside my front doorway, a faintly scared? nervous? look in those piercingly blue eyes. Ignoring that interesting little detail for the moment, I dropped my eyes to his boots and started a slow travel up. I was mildly annoyed to find he'd somehow managed to gain some height on me, and added that to the list of things I was pissed off at Dr. J for. Though he was dressed conservatively in plain blue jeans and a white T-shirt, I could still see the hint of muscle that he'd always had through the wars and appeared to keep up through peacetime. His shoulders were broad, and for some reason I seemed to be stuck there, almost... afraid to look into his face. Then I mentally smacked myself. 'Shinigami fears nothing!' I swallowed and looked up.   
  
His face was as angular as I remembered: the strong chin, the prominent cheekbones exposed by too little fat in his face, the jutting brow bone, those cute little split ends at the ends of his eyebrows that freakily reminded me of Trieze... I remember when I used to tweak them to annoy him... The brown hair was longer, collar length, and the brown color looked faintly off, like a poor watercolor imitation of his former chocolate brown locks. Finally I shored up my determination and... peeked at his eyes before looking away. They still looked that rich midnight blue you find at sunset right after the sun has set. Often when I moonwatched at night, I looked at the sky, and was reminded of him.   
  
That and the fact that every time I looked into Vicki's eyes I saw his.  
  
Deliberately looking towards the stairs where sounds of Vicki stirring could be heard, I heard myself ask very causally, "I suppose you're wanting to see her?" and patted myself on the back for the cool degree of indifference in my voice that I could tell surprised Heero. I gave a little inward smirk, supposing he had been expecting a temper tantrum full of angry words from me. I wondered how he would react to the milder, mellower Duo Maxwell I was now.  
  
***  
  
I tried to contain my surprise as Duo very nonchalantly asked me about Vicki, and promptly forgot about his tone of voice as the anticipation of finally seeing my daughter hit me. I found myself nodding eagerly and moving into the living room that Duo gestured me into while he brought Vicki down. Nervous (I couldn't seem to get the butterflies out of my stomach), I sat down upon the couch, tensing up when the sound of footfalls on the stairs reached my ears. I held my breath as Duo brought the toddler into the room, settling her carefully on her feet.  
  
She was perfect, and as I studied her I could see the resemblance to both myself and Relena... the texture and color of her hair, the shape of her eyes and face, the naturally proud way she held her head... Unsure, I looked up at Duo.  
  
Looking surprised, then almost... bemused, he knelt next to the child and whispered a few words in her ear, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the couch upon which I sat. I sensed that she wasn't nervous or unsure about my presence, just curious, and her gaze seemed almost knowing as she looked at me. Suddenly breaking into a grin which puffed up her rosy cheeks, she toddled my way, asking all the while, "You're the man in the pictures?"  
  
Abruptly finding myself with an armful of squirming baby that I had no idea what to do with, I once again turned helplessly to Duo.  
  
Looking uneasy, he answered my unspoken question. "She's seen pictures of you... and news reports and things that I've taped... I would never keep your existence from your daughter, Heero," he spoke softly. "She knows who you are."  
  
I was unexpectedly smacked in the cheek by an inquisitive hand. "'e looks jus' like the pictures!" she said to Duo, hands still roaming over my face, pulling at my hair until I gave a little wince. My expression of shock - and pain - must have registered, because Duo just chuckled softly and said, "I'll leave you two alone," closing the door on myself and my daughter for the first time.   
  
***  
  
Duo walked out of the living room, shutting the door calmly behind him, before moving over and hitting the wall next to the door with a muffled thud, sliding down the wall to land with a weary groan on the floor, hands covering his face. I knelt beside him and hesitantly laid a hand on his shoulder. "Duo? Are you okay?"  
  
From inside his arms came a muffled "no." He offered nothing further.  
  
Kneeling helplessly next to him, I was suddenly desperate to keep him talking. "How come you're not laying into Heero?" I asked, rubbing his back gently as I could, feeling the tense muscles coiled there. "I would've thought you'd at least be cold to him, and here you are acting almost friendly!"  
  
He seemed to think on that for a long time. "I'm not a heartless bastard, Hilde," he told me quietly. "This is his first time ever meeting his daughter, whom I'm sure he's never even heard about until recently. I'm not going to make an uncomfortable meeting worse." He lifted his head, looking off into the distance, but I sensed, not really seeing the house. He abruptly chuckled. "Besides, there's plenty of time to smack Heero around later!"  
  
Sighing, I smacked him on the back of the head. "Duo no baka!"  
  
***  
  
After a somewhat tearful reunion (I guess I should say meeting, really), Hilde carried the emotionally exhausted Vicki up the stairs, and I, though equally tired, made my way to the kitchen where I heard the sounds of keys clacking and smelled the delicious aroma of brewing coffee. Too bad I didn't like the stuff. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the smell, however.  
  
Pushing the swinging door open, I entered a spacious, well-lit, cream-colored kitchen. Dark wood paneling ran up half the walls, the rich cream continuing up to the ceiling, splattered with a slightly darker shade of the same color. The floor was tiled, diamond shaped, with grayish-black diamonds in between each individual tile and its partner. The counters were a white marble, the drawers colored the same shade of the wood on the walls. Everything was neat, but with a cluttered, lived-in look.   
  
I spied Duo sitting with one elbow on the kitchen table, forehead cupped in that hand, peering at the screen of a laptop, a steaming cup sitting in a cup holder on the table in front of him, his free arm occasionally tapping at the keyboard. The booth-style table was in front of a set of bay windows, casting Duo in the ethereal glow of the setting sun, bringing out the red highlights in his hair and making it look auburn. Swallowing, I was overcome with the sudden desire to resolve this relationship deal, and strode toward him with every intention of doing that. Reaching the table, I halted in front of it, clearing my throat. "Duo..."  
  
"Nasty characters, ne, Heero? These guys of Mien's? I dunno about you, but I'm not exactly sure I know how - or even want - to try and infiltrate these guys' hideout. I have a pretty heathy survival instinct, you know..." As he babbled on about our current targets, I let loose an almost inaudible sigh and moved over to the coffee pot, finding a mug sitting conveniently next to it. I filled the mug a little over a fourth full of coffee, then moved to the refrigerator and took out the milk, filling the rest of the mug with it. I added a little sugar I found next to the coffee pot and slid in the booth across from Duo, who tensed momentarily before resuming his - I recognized it now - nervous chatter. Cupping the warm cup in front of my face, I sighed again and concluded that Duo really didn't want to talk to me about any thing significant. Running a hand through my jagged bangs, I set the cup down and snatched the laptop away from Duo, ignoring his squall of protest, personal feelings firmly pushed aside and my whole being ready to prepare for my new mission. 


End file.
